Big Beauty Tuesday: How to Turn Lemons Into (Pink) Lemonade

Fun fact: I hate pink lipstick. Suggested Reading The Ever-Growing List of Lawsuits Against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Take a Look Inside Michael Jordan’s Former Chicago-Area Mansion, Which You Can Now Airbnb For This Heart-Clutching Price Celebrities Known to the Culture As ‘BlackFamous’ Video will return here when scrolled back into view Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick…

Fun fact: I hate pink lipstick.

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Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Like, even during that phase in childhood when, for the sake of peer pressure and a blind love of all things Barbie, I tried to convince myself that pink could be my favorite color (spoiler alert: itโ€™s not), I could never get onboard with a pink lipโ€”and it was the โ€™80s, so thatโ€™s saying a lot.

Thatโ€™s not to say I havenโ€™t triedโ€”repeatedly. In fact, Iโ€™ve done so right here on this very blog, with varying results (notice how Iโ€™m often hiding my lips). But if Iโ€™m honest, my heart is never quite in it, and itโ€™s a hurdle I need to get over. So, when Bossy Cosmetics sent me a trio of shades to try from their โ€œLipstick Lab,โ€ I subverted my natural inclination to grab the red and brown hues, and begrudgingly reached for...the pink. *cringe*

To be clear, Iโ€™m talking mid-level pink, not a hot fuchsia or coral. And to be fair, the โ€œSirenโ€ liquid matte lipstick ($16.99) Bossy sent me was decidedly more of a deep, warm pink than the more bubblegum โ€œBombshellโ€ above. And yet, I still lowkey freaked. What was I supposed to do with all this pinkโ€”and why was I so terrified of it?

Was it the inherent โ€œgirlinessโ€ (read: childishness) of it? A visceral reaction to pastels, in general (partly true)? I love pink on brown skin so why is pink lipstick my Achillesโ€™ heel? Does it just feel too passive?

Or, do I just hate it on me?

Yes, I know lips are naturally pink, but I nevertheless find pink lipstick the most unnatural thing ever. And yes, I know thatโ€™s not a rational phobia; Iโ€™m henceforth calling it โ€œpink-anoia.โ€

But still, she persisted.

After all, what is a boss if she canโ€™t master one of the most universal shades in existence? Bossy founder and CEO Aishetu โ€œAishaโ€ Dozie reportedly created the brand by drawing upon her years spent working in the boysโ€™ club known as the finance industry, where sheโ€™d wear a bold lip color to feel empoweredโ€”and according to the brandโ€™s mission statement, sheโ€™s now empowering others.

Where beauty meets purpose, Bossy Cosmetics is here to empower women to look, feel, and do GOOD. As a part of their mission to empower girls and women all over the world, whenever their customers shop their products, they donate a part of the proceeds to an Eligible Charitable Organization(s) whose mission is closely aligned. Bossy Cosmetics also gives their customers an opportunity to make direct donations to such charitable organizations on the website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66m1NexnbSY

Dude. Who can say no to that? Basically, I needed to get over myself. I could do this! Still...what do you even wear with pink? More pink? (For real, yโ€™all; I froze.)

So, what did I do? I did what Beyoncรฉ would do, and turned lemons into lemonadeโ€”pink lemonade, that is. In celebration of long-delayed arrival of summer-like weather, I decided to serve up my rendition of the most refreshing drink of the season, with a yellow and pink-themed look that reminded me of summer days and romantic sunsets...

And strangely, this pink suddenly started to make sense.

Am I a convert? Honestly, Iโ€™m still not quite sure I trust a pink lipโ€”and will be digging into the deeper shades Bossy sent my way, so stay tuned. But as I try to overcome my pink-anoia, the pinky-coral shade of โ€œSirenโ€ may become my own version of immersion therapyโ€”and a welcome reprieve from my extremist, โ€œgo bold or go nudeโ€ lipstick/life philosophy. Maybe thereโ€™s a softer side to be exploredโ€ฆ

Or maybe pink can be a boss, too.

Straight From The Root

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